1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf shot practice device and, in particular, to a device which is small in size and has safety features. Said invention, therefore, can be used safely indoors in a living room or an office even by novice golfers.
2. Prior Art
Various devices for practicing golf shots have been developed over the years. There are putting practice devices such as the apparatus shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,290 issued to Smith and U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,313 issued to Colson. None of these inventions are, however, suited for chip shot practice. Since a golfer rolls the ball when he putts, even the worst hit putt will not fly as in chip shots.. Thus, putting devices cannot provide safety when they are used for chip shot practice.
Other devices for practicing full swing golf shots, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,146 issued to Windall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,239 issued to Leneveu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,056 issued to Schulle, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,167 issued to Felix, but they are bulky and not suitable for indoor practice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,939 issued to Kraumlauf discloses a complex clip for putt and chip practice device, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,029 issued to Smit shows simple features for chipping practice. Those devices, however, lack safety features for use indoors. They cannot guarantee safety to surroundings when "shank" (a phenomenon that a golf ball flies far to the right soon after hit by the hill of golf club head) or "topping" (a phenomenon that golf ball rolls very fast when smothered on top by golf club head) occurs, which is not uncommon among average golfers.
The aforementioned patents reflect state of the art design of which the applicant is aware and it is respectfully stipulated that none of these patents teach or render obvious, singly or in combination, applicant's claimed invention.